MRC Staff and Offices

Markus BergthalerDirector of Programs and Marketing
As Director of Programs and Marketing, Markus oversees the development of all Association program content, conference education, committee and community subject matter, website content, benchmarking and online forum topics. Markus joined the MRC from Wizards of the Coast where he led the company's fraud department. Prior to Wizards of the Coast, Markus worked as a Fraud Manager at E. Breuninger in Germany, further developing his knowledge of international payments and fraud. As a German native, Markus started his career in Fraud Management at Amazon where he worked predominantly on German investigations. He brings a variety of skills to the MRC, including international fraud security, cross-border payment processing, marketing and business development.

Emma CloningerMarketing Manager
Emma is responsible for developing comprehensive marketing communication, advertising, social media content and media relations initiatives that directly support MRC constituents. With a background in public relations and communication, Emma has expertise in brand representation, events, content creation and successful campaign execution. Emma came to the MRC from Global Credit Union where she gained a wealth of experience as a communications specialist. She was promoted from Marketing Coordinator to Marketing Manager in June 2018.

Jared CsarU.S. Membership Manager
Jared is responsible for providing support to current and prospective members in relation to all benefits, programs and services offered by the Merchant Risk Council. Jared joined the MRC team from Amazon, where he most recently served as Senior Investigations Specialist in the Transaction Risk Management Systems division, bringing expertise in fraud and credit risk analysis to their Buyer Risk Investigations operations within the German market. Prior to relocating to Seattle, he spent five years in Colorado, working in hospitality for Vail Resorts, where he served as Resident Manager at the Austria Haus Hotel in Vail. Jared is a proud native of the Chicagoland area and holds a B.A. from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Haly HarperU.S. Program Manager
Haly is responsible for creating and developing content for the MRC's RAPID Edu eLearning program, and oversees the Women in Payments and Fraud initiative. This includes the oversight of the Women in Payments and Fraud Committee, coordinating events during conferences, and collaborating with industry partners to create joint events. Haly joined the MRC in February 2018 after eight years with Bodybuilding.com where she was the eCommerce Risk Manager, managing the review and chargeback teams and guiding the overall fraud strategy for the company. While at Bodybuilding.com she also served on the MRC's Americas Advisory Board (AAB), as well as the U.S. Conference Committee.

Jenny KiefferDirector of Events
Jenny joined the MRC in 2008 as an Administrative Coordinator. Now as the Director of Events, Jenny develops, coordinates and leads all conference initiatives pertaining to the four annual US and European MRC events. Prior to the MRC, Jenny worked at Cutter & Buck apparel manufacturer and Chase Bank. With experience in several diverse roles, Jenny has a unique skill set including expertise in web administration, database administration, customer relations, IT, photo editing and office management. A local native to the Northwest, specifically Seattle, Jenny is a tried-and-true Seahawks fan.

Vinnie LopezGraphic Designer
Vinnie is the MRC's visual architect responsible for all creative representation and branding associated with the MRC. With a background in illustration and graphic design, Vinnie finds inspiration from sketching and drawing, designs that are dynamic, fearless and daring, modern compositions and street art. Prior to the MRC, Vinnie served 10 years in the Army Airborne Infantry with three combat tours to Afghanistan and Iraq.

Alycia McMahonEvent Coordinator
Alycia assists the Director of Events, coordinating, planning and developing projects and initiatives relative to the four annual MRC conferences. Prior to joining the MRC, she worked as an Executive Assistant/CRM Manager at Copiers Northwest/BluZebra Technologies. Alycia has over 10 years of experience in the hospitality industry working in events, sales and catering in Massachusetts.

Jessica QuillenAccounting and Office Coordinator
Jessica joined the MRC from Pacific Retirement Services, a non-profit organization in Southern Oregon providing management and consulting services to retirement facilities across the U.S. There, she acted as Cash Management Bookkeeper which, among many other things, taught her the importance of internal and external controls for fraud prevention. Over the last 10 years she has worked and volunteered for both large non-profits and small, local businesses providing accounting and administrative services. Although her primary focus has been on helping to build sustainable local economies, she believes it is important to support communities through global education and outreach. She holds a technical certificate in Accounting.

Suzan SnodgrassDirector of Finance and Operations
Suzan is responsible for leading and developing the MRC finances, business planning, budgeting, human resources and administration. Suzan joined the MRC from the Washington Initiative for Supported Employment where she spent the last 16 years as the Director of Finance. She has a BA in Accounting and a Masters in Finance from Seattle University.

Mike SplichalU.S. Program Manager
Mike oversees content for the MRC, including the MRC Resource Center, community forums, and directories. He also coordinates MRC Committees, Communities, and Affinity Groups. Mike joined the MRC in May 2015 from Amazon. Though his nearly 14-year tenure there began in Customer Service, Mike most recently served in the Transaction Risk Management Systems division, where he led operations integration for new points of sale and other strategic business initiatives for the Buyer Risk Investigations department.

Úna DillonManaging Director, MRC Europe
Úna has 20 years of experience in financial services, payment card scheme strategy and management, European policy and membership associations. Her experience includes General Manager of the Irish national Debit Card Scheme (Laser Card), Head of Card Services for the Irish Payment Services Organisation (IPSO) delivering the Chip & PIN project for Irish debit cards and developing the IPSO Card Fraud Forum. She also currently sits on the Board of Directors of EAST (European ATM Security Team) and is Chairman of the European Payments Council (EPC) Card Fraud Prevention Forum.

Paula Gray
Office Coordinator
Paula's background is in retail banking and financial services, with significant experience in corporate governance, company secretarial, HR, finance, membership services and retail payment operations. Paula comes to the MRC from the Irish Payment Services Organisation where she was Manager of Corporate Services and Retail Payments and more recently was Head of Corporate Governance and Retail Payment Operations with the BPFI. She has an ACCA Certified Diploma in Accounting and Finance and is a member of the Association of Compliance Officers in Ireland.

Linda PorathMembership Manager, MRC Europe
Linda comes to the MRC with extensive conference and membership experience. She previously worked at the European Networking Group, CIGNA International, Phoenix Solutions Ltd, Mansion Limited, Bwin International Ltd, and Griffin Capital Management. In her membership role at the MRC, Linda serves as a liaison for our European members, making sure their questions and needs are met. Linda holds degrees from TtMadrid and BKPII, Elisabeth-Selbert-Schule in Germany.